Fuselage for aeroplanes



March l 7, 1925.

R. DENAULT FUSELAGE FOR AEROPLANES Filed Dec. 10, 1923 IN V EN TOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1?, 19 25.

uurrso STAT RUDOLPH DENAULT, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

rusnnacn non AEROPLANES.

Application filed December 10, 1923. Serial No. 679,671.

To all whom it may cancer Bait known that I, Rnootrrr Dnnamur, a subject of the King of England, and a resident of New York, borough of Broolillyn, in the county of Kings and State of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Fuselage for Aeroplanes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates more particularly to a form of body adapted to be used in a class of airships.

' My invention has for its object primarily to provide a fuselage or bodydesigned to be employed for aeroplanes and the like, and which is of a form adapted to be charged with gaseous fluid for increasing its buoyancy. The inventionalso contemplates the utilization of the gaseous products of the exhaust from the engine of the apparatus for charging the body to enhance its buoyancy which in turn will tend to facilitate the ascent and descent of the apparatus as well as serving to enable travel in the air to be accomplished with minimum consump tion of fuel. The invention consists essern tially of a hollow body which may be approximately ovaliform in cross-section an lengthwise of the exterior of the body intermediate its lower and upper extremities may be laterally projecting flanges for taking the air to assist the flight of the apparatus. In teriorly of the body may be one or a number of air-tight chambers for being charged with gaseous fluid to lessen the weight of the body, and when the apparatus is propelled by a combustion engine the gaseous products of exhaust are conveyed to the chambers for that the liability of chambers are charged nets of the exhaust; and a further ob ect of increasing the buoyancy of the body.

Another object of the invention is to provide each chamber with means operative by the gaseous "fluid for maintaining a. determined volume of gas in each. chamber so overstraining the body will be avoided, and to also prevent liability of choking the engine when the with gaseous prodthe invention is to provide a fuselage of a simple and etlicicnt construction which may be made in any appropriate size.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more fully ex plained with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed .out inthe claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an aeroplane constructed according to one form of my improved fuselage.

2 isan enlarged longitudinal vertical sectlon, partly in elevation, taken through a. fuselage of somewhat a modified shape to the fuselage shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an" enlarged sectional view, partly in elevation, takenop the .line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

The fuselage has a hollow air-tight body 10 carrying one or more wings or planes, as 11, as wcll as being provided with suitable steering rudders, as 12, and a suitable wheel carriage, as 13. The body 10 may be of any appropriate size and shape, thopgh the form of the body illustratedis somewhat ovaliform in cross section with a tapered rear cnd as 14. and a tapered forward end, as 15. Extending lengthwise ofthe exterior of the body intermediate its lower and upper extremities may be laterally protruding flanges or extensions, as 16, 17. These flanges may be provided by forming the dlower wall or part of the body cross sectionally in somewhat a bell-shape, as at 18, and forming the top orupper wall of the body cross-scctionally in a convex-shape, as at 19. In order that the body maybe normally of relative lightness in weight'its I walls may be made of aluminum or an alloy of aluminum and magnesia metals or other suitable material, and centrally of the top wall 19 may be an opening or entrance, as 20, to admit the pilot into the body. The walls of the body are airtight in their construction.

' itbin spaced transverse air-tight partitioning members 21, 22 having between their lower parts an airtight iioor compartment 24 for the pilot, and in this compartment may be a suitable seat, as 25, in front of which may steering wheel, as 26. When the aeroplane is of a form adapted to be driven by a combustion engine as 27, it may be inclosed in a compartment, as 28, formed by partitioning members, as 29, provided'in the body of the fuselage adjacent the partition or wall 21 of the pilot compartment 24. The drive shaft 30 of the engine is journaled in one of be an appropriate asfiilgto provide a.

' the body as well as being un to provide in the forward part of the body a chamber 32 and to provide chambers 33 and 34; in the rear part of the body by constructmg an air-tight partition member 35 across the interior of the body between the pilot :ompartment 24 and the rear end of the body.

The flanges l6 and 17 of the body serve for taking the air when the apparatus is travelling to assist its flight, and to promote the buoyancy of the body by lessening its normal Weight, the chambers 32, 33, 34 may be charged with any suitable gaseous fluid, such as the class of gas commonly used in balloons or airships, and the delivery of the gaseous fluid may be accomplished by forcing the gas under pressure through a pipe or duct, as 36. The pipe 36 may lead from the chamber 32 or elsewhere into the other chambers, and this pipe may be provided with outlets, as 37, 38, 39, one leading into each of the chambers 32, 33, 34. When the apparatus is driven by the engine the buoyancy of the body may be increased by connecting the inlet end, as 40, to the exhaust outlet of the engine for utilizing the gaseous products of the exhaust to charge the Gimm hers by causing the gaseous products to be delivered through the pipe.

To prevent overstraining the body by charging the chambers with excess of the gaseous fluid, that. is, to maintain in the chambers a volume of the gas approximating two-thirds or three-fourths the weight of a like volume of the air exteriorly of the body, and to also maintain the gas at a pressure less than the pressure at the exhaust of the engine, on preferably the top oi the body and leading into each of the chambers 32, 33, 34 is a. blow-off device or safety valve, as -11. Each of these valves may be of any well known or preferred type adapted to operate When'the gas or gaseous products of exhaust in the chambers exceed a eterxnined pressure 'for allowing the excess of the gas to escape, and in turn the engine will also no prevented from choking. Moreover, when gaseous products of exhaust are employed for charging the chambers, in the un derside of the lower wall-18 of the body, provided door'closed outlets, as 4-2, one leap!- ing from each of the chambers. The door of each. of these outlets'is of a form providing airtight joints, and each door 15 preferably hinged, at-43, to swin inwardlyof er the tension y serving to force of a spring, as 4:4, nor

the door snugly in closed position on its any of the advantages of this invention,

therefore, I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and ters Patent: i

1. In a fuselage for aero lanes, a hollow air-tight body including a ower wall portion ct approximately a bell-shape in cross-- section and a curved upper wall across the entrance of the lower wall portion, providing lengthwise of the exterior of the body intermediate its lower and upper extremities laterallyprotruding flanges, and a door controlled outlet in the underside of the body.

2. In a fuselage for aeroplanes, a hollow air-tight body including a lower wall portion of approximately a bell-shape in crosssection and a curved upper wall across the entrance of the lower wall portion, providing lengthwise of the exterior of the ody intermediate its lower and upper extremities laterally protruding flanges, spaced'partitions in the body dividing its interior into chambers, and door controlled outlets in the underside of the body, one leading into each chamber.

3. In a fuselage for aero lanes, a hollow airtight body including a ower Wall portion of' approximately a bell-shape in cross section and an upper wall across the entrance of the lower wall portion, providing lengthwise of the exterior of the body intermediate its lower and upper extremities laterally protruding flanges, a door controlled outlet in the underside of the body, means for conveying the gaseous products of exhaust from the engine to the interior of the body, and means on the body operative by the gaseous products when under a given pressure for maintaining a determined volume of the gases in the body.

4. In a fuselage for aeroplanes, a hollow desire to secure by Letair-tight body including a lower wall portion of approximately a bell-shape in crosstions in the body dividing its interior into chambers, door controlled outlets in the un- V chamber and SM derside 2: 311a bady, we ieaflingz into fiat ch chamber. a "r landing mm the, @xhau'st port sf 55m 1m f0? summing the 5321520115 "products of mnmast ram PM; engine to ah- 2 ii pipe havi: mxfleiis, one leading 1m mush eix-mbmg and valve 1- irolled mamns 0n tim @0513 mm ding fmm gash chamber fm' being upsxa'ta-zrl by aha gaseous; producis when uncier a ivim pressuw in each c'iunnbr-r for maintaining; therein a (3% this 8th diay of Dec-amber A.

v fitness RUDULPH mnmuma Cmnm.

DENAULT, 

